kitchen appliance power

Jul 21, 2014
23
hunter 28.5 lake
we will be moving up to a bigger boat for live aboard and travel along GICW, AICW, and over to Bahamas. I know I can use shore power at docks for kitchen appliances (coffee maker, toaster, small George Forman grill) but what about on the hook?

Will a pure sine inverter be okay? I know I need to make sure the wattage is comparable.

Thank you,
 
Feb 21, 2010
330
Beneteau 31 016 St-Lawrence river
Kitchen appliances

Hi,
Kitchen appliances are power mongers...I'd stay away from them for many reasons:
1- Electricity is a limited resource
2- 110V 60 cycles is a mostly north-american thing: not available in the Antilles
3- A Gen-set or other fuel-powered source of electricity is heavy, space hungry and noisy.
4- All appliances can be easily replaced by stove-top.

Having spent time in Europe, the Azores, the Canaries, the Antilles and the Bahamas and Bermuda all I converted to 240V 50 cycles were the battery charger and the water-heater element. When on the hook a 700W inverter to 120V 60 cycles was more than sufficient. My 4 golf carts coupled to solar panels were all it took.

When cruising I had a manual coffee grinder, a stove-top espresso-cappuccino maker. If we made toast we usually made it on the propane BBQ. We didn't have a microwave and still don't. We also don't have a TV set on board. We have a notebook computer and a printer with 12V adapters. We use Ham radio and winlink email which we used when crossing the pond.

Water never seemed to be a problem with a good management plan: we had 400 liters in the tanks and bottled drinking water. On our present boat we have 300 liters and buy bottled drinking water.

Have a good liveaboard and Bahamas trip.

Pierre in the snow and cold... the ice bridges are open and safe!
 
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Gunni

.
Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
  • You make coffee on the stove top.
  • You brown your toast on a skillet/griddle.
  • And you grill your stuff under the broiler, or in a kettle on the stern rail.
I sense some culture shock as you become live-aboards and leave your appliances in lubber land. They weren't meant for the sailing life. Enjoy your freedom.
 
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Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
  • You make coffee on the stove top.
  • You brown your toast on a skillet/griddle.
  • And you grill your stuff under the broiler, or in a kettle on the stern rail.
I sense some culture shock as you become live-aboards and leave your appliances in lubber land. They weren't meant for the sailing life. Enjoy your freedom.
Gunni: How do you make those blended drinks? :dance::naughty::doh:
 
Sep 20, 2006
2,912
Hunter 33 Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada
Coffee maker ? do the search here on SBO and you'll have a million ideas on making coffee other than coffee maker.

Toast, I assume you'll end up with a propane stove / oven. http://www.wisementrading.com/campcookware/camp_toaster.jpg

George Foreman grill? why fry your food when you can grill with Magnum etc. propane grill off the stern rail.


Lots of ways to do food without all the power hungry appliances with some planning. :D
 
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May 23, 2004
3,319
I'm in the market as were . Colonial Beach
Remember that when you move aboard space will be crucial. Carrying around all of these extra appliances takes up space.

I don't live aboard now. I spent a while living aboard my Catalina 30 and I learned that you have to learn other methods. You don't need a microwave. Same for other appliances, as others have said.

Living on the hook offers more privacy and more freedom. It also saves a ton of money.
 

Gunni

.
Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
I think we need to tone down the deprivations else Richard go over to the dark side (trawlers).
 
Sep 15, 2009
6,243
S2 9.2a Fairhope Al
as for what size inverter you need it is proportional to how much you use and how big your battery bank is and how you recharge your batteries...i personally think having a honda 2000 gen set is a good thing if you are going to carry all that electrical stuff with you.... you can get 2000 watt inverter but if you only have a 225 amp bank you will be limited immediately i would think about minimizing your electrical usage on the hook if you don't have a genset and or get some kind of alcohol cook top or propane and learn how to cook with it along with a barbeque grill on the rail you will be amazed at what you can do camping on the water
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,039
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
When cruising I had a manual coffee grinder,
Oh, the humanity ...
Sorry, I'm just kidding. We had a microwave and blah blah blah. We made coffee most often by heating water on the stove, alcohol or propane, and pouring it through the Mr. Coffee 2 cup thing. Paper towel or coffee filter - whatever we had. After a season of storage, they aren't that different. Sometimes we used the inverter to run the Mr. Coffee on AC but I would avoid it unless plugged in at the dock. Inverters just seem inefficient and harsh on batteries.
 
Jan 22, 2008
597
Oday 35 and Mariner 2+2 Alexandria, VA
I have a stove top espresso maker, a manual ice crusher (swing away), an aeropress for coffee (americano) and a camp toaster that works on the grill or stovetop. The only electrical extravagance that I run off the inverter is an ice maker when truly necessary.
 
Jun 8, 2004
2,841
Catalina 320 Dana Point
I thought all sailboats CAME with a French press coffee maker, every one I've bought or sold came with one, or is that just a West Coast requirement ?
 
Jun 6, 2006
6,990
currently boatless wishing Harrington Harbor North, MD
Coleman stove top coffee maker, propane oven and stove top
I concur with the other posters, things that move heat or make heat are best left to something that burns a fuel, hot water is actually diesel powered, use electricity for those things like electronics and lighting (think LED)
and toast is right out unless it is a grilled cheese sandwitch
 

Sumner

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Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
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Mar 1, 2012
2,182
1961 Rhodes Meridian 25 Texas coast
I thought all sailboats CAME with a French press coffee maker, every one I've bought or sold came with one, or is that just a West Coast requirement ?
Nope- I have two- one at home and one onboard. Only way I've made coffee in years.

When we got the first one, we made the first pot of coffee, tried it, and my ex unplugged the Mr Coffee, and trashed it:)
 
Feb 26, 2004
22,759
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Oh, NO

Not another coffee discussion.

Please, will somebody finally invent something NEW so we don't do the percolator, drip, Melitta, French Press thing all over again?

PLEEEZE.
 
Jul 27, 2011
4,989
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
I thought all sailboats CAME with a French press coffee maker, every one I've bought or sold came with one, or is that just a West Coast requirement ?
I've had two; broke the glass beaker on both of them over time. Plus, they leave sediment in the coffee cup. Now it's a simple Melitta filter in a cone over a mug or cup; two scoops of coffee into the filter, pour over hot water direct from boiling. I actually have two cones, so can make two cups of coffee at once. It's the best. An electric coffee maker on a sailboat?---not a priority; not even a possibility for me. The ONE AC appliance we do have aboard-- people may laugh--is a portable ice maker. No good away from the dock but great to have aboard at the slip. Works fast--no more fetching of ice!!
 
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